Dirigible dock



July 18, 1933. E. 1.. BOWLES DIRIGIBLE DOCK Filed Sept. 6, 1929 3706 Irv/0i Eda/a mi L Bowie;

Patented July 18, 1933 1 is H 1,918,831

EDWARDVLINDLEY' BOWLES, or wEL EsLEY FARMS, MASSACHUSETTS 'IDIRIGIBLE nocx Application filed September 6,1929. Serial No. 390,744.

The present invention relates to hangars or. docks, and' particularly to hangars or docks designed for the housing of dirigibles.

In the interest of economy, hangars or docks of the above-described character should be built as small as possible. This considerationmust, however, yield .to the fact that, if toolittle space is provided between the vertically disposed, projecting. members of the hangar and the ship, the bag is liable to i V scrape against these members when the ship is entering or leaving the hangar, or to contact with them as the bag sways back and forth in the'hangar. As the members are usually constitutedof rough-steel truss ele-' ments, there is danger of'rippingor other wise injuring the bag.

An object of the present reduce the size of hangars of the above-described character while eliminating danger of injury to the dirigible bag. Other objects will beexplained hereinafter, and will be par- 7 vticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention will be explained in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section of a hangar, showing a dirigible housed therein; Fig. 2 1s a fragmentary View upon a larger scale; Figs; 3and l arefragmentary views showing modifications; and Fig; 5 is a section taken upon theline 5- -5 of Fig.1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The dirigible 2 is shown in Fig. 1 dis-f posed adjacent to a truss element, the inner portion 4 of which may consistof a huge, vertically disposed, fabricating constructional, rough-steel, rigid element. With'the spacebetween the ship 2 and this vertical member 4 small, there is danger, when the ship moves, of contact between the bag 6 and the member 4, and such contact may result in ripping or otherwise injuring the bag-6.

A protecting element 5 is shown disposed between the vertical rigid and rough element 4 and the bag 6. ;Preferably, each vertical member near the ship is provided with a strip 5. The strip 5 may consist of a band or strip of canvas or other flexible material or fabric supported between blocks Sand 10. These blocks hold it away from the vertical meminvention is to 5' ber 4. The element 5 may be stretchedany degree oftautnessgeither by first doing so, by

some well known mechanical means, and then securing the strip 5 to the supports 8 and 10; or by having the strips secured at one? end and have a tension maintainingdevice, such as a spring 11 arrangement at the other, Flg; 3, or by having such an arrangement 11, l2.

at both ends, Fig.4. Byhaving the strip 5 of the proper-degree of tautness and resiliency, an'd having itiofmaterial which would not inj urethe bag 6 by contact, a pad or flexibleprotection isthus afforded for the bag 6. Duringthe movement of the ship into or out of the-hanganjor during its swaying movement when moored in the hangar,-contact with the band 5 is of agentle nature that could not cause injury to the bag 6. The band 5 gives or yields to the pressure of the bag, the bag 7 yieldsand there are no rough surfaces in .con- "1 tact.

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Modifications will obviously occur to per sons skilled in theart, and all such are con-v sidered to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as definedin the appended claims- 7 1 What is claimed isi 1. A dirigible hangar having an interior wall adjacent to which the bag of the dirigi-- ble is adapted to beldisposed,the wall having a plurality of separated, rigid members dis protectingelementdisposed between the wall and the bag for protecting the bag'from dam- 'posed transversely of the bag and against which the bag is liable to contact, anda age by contact with the wall, the elements being of material that. will notinjure'the bag by such contact.

2. A dirigible hangar having, anffinterior}, J 1 wall adj acentto which the bag of the dirigie ble is adapted to be disposed, the wall having a plurality of separatedQrigidmembers dis posed transversely of the. bag and," against which the bag is liableto contact; and a fleXible strip vertically disposed between the" member and the bag;

' 3. Av dirigible hangar-having an interior wall adj a-cent to which thebag of the dirigi-v ble is adapted to be disposed, the wall having a plurality of separated, rigid members disposed transversely of the bag and against which the bag is liable to contact, and afabric strip stretched vertically between the member and tl e bag.

4. dirigible hangar having an interior wallad acent to which the bag of the dirigible is adapted to be disposed, the wall hav-' *ing' a plurality of separated, rigid members disposed transversely of the bag and against which the is liable to contact, each rigid member having 'an supper and a lower block respectively disposed in substantial vertical alinement near the upper and the lower. portions of the bag, and a flexible strip attached to the blocks, the blocks maintaining the strip i separated from the member.

5; A dirigible hangar having an interior wall adjacent to which the bag at the dirigi= V ble is adapted Lobe disposed; the wall having a plurality of separatedy rigid members disposed transversely of the bag and against which the bag is liable to contact, each rigid member having an upper and a. loweriblock resoectivel 'dis osedin' substantial vertical alinement'near the upper and the lower portions of the'bag,a springsecured to one of the blocks, anda flexible strip'attached to' the by such contact. 7

respectively. disposed in substantial vertical alinement near the upper and the lower portions of the bag, a S311Ilg secured to each block, and a flexible strip attached to the "springs, the springs maintaining the strip stretched and separated from the member.

'7. A dlriglble hangar having an interior wall adjacent to which the bag of the dirigi ble is adapted to be disposed and against whichthe bagis liable to contact, and yielding means disposed between the wall and the bag for protecting the bag from danizwe by contactwith the-wall, the yielding means being of material that will notinjure the bag EDWARD L. BQWLES.

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